altadenablog

Living with wildlife presentation

Got this note from MaryEllen Schoeman, who wants to get something going:

Hello there, my name is MaryEllen and I'm a wildlife rehabilitator living in the Meadows area of Altadena. Several people have approached me lately about the possibility of me giving a presentation on living successfully with our native wildlife, which I would be more than happy to do if there is enough interest. I would appreciate it if people who would attend such a presentation would email me and let me know, so that I can gauge if there is enough interest and if so, what size venue I would need to find. I can be reached via email at maryellenks at gmail.com. Thanks very much!

--
MaryEllen Schoeman
Editor/Writer
http://animallife.bellaonline.com

It's the 21st century -- where's my robot? Where's my jetpack?

We may be in the middle of a national park, surrounded by snow, with only two phones in the whole facility -- but you can't get low-wage teenagers to work for you these days unless you give 'em wifi.  So we have  satellite internet hookup along with sequoias.

As we get the chance, we'll be doing updates, but hey, we ARE on vacation, and innertubing and snowballing calls.

Taking some time off

We're going to be on a mini-vacation over the long weekend, but will resume on Tuesday, March 3.  See you then!

Vamp up your Friday next month

... and that squeal you hear is every teenage girl in Altadena screaming "EDWARD!"

Yes, fangs to the Friends of the Altadena Library, TWILIGHT will be the teen flick next month on Fri., March 27.  Being the dad of a teenage girl, I can add nothing else.

Relay for Life kickoff March 11 @ Farnsworth Park

The American Cancer Society's first Altadena Relay for Life will have a kickoff meeting on Wed., March 11, 6:30-7:30 PM at the Davies Building at Farnsworth Park, Lake & Mount Curve.  Find out how you can join the fight against cancer. Food, Drinks. Purchase Luminaria for Relay For
Life.

Visit Relay For Life Altadena on the web: www.relayforlife.org/altadenaca
For more information about Relay For Life please contact: Sarah Eagle 626 372 9456 Sarah.eagle@cancer.org or Paula Walker Paula.Walker@SothebysInternationalRealty.com

The Relay for Life will start on Sat., June 6, and run for 24 hours starting at 9 AM, also at Farnsworth Park. 

MonteCedro retirement community is the economy's latest victim

MonteCedro, the $200 million retirement community complex that was to occupy the site of the former Scripps Home, has been put on hold indefinitely, according to the owners, the Episcopal Home Communities.

Last week, this letter went out to potential residents of the complex:

February 12, 2009

Dear Friends of MonteCedro,

For the past thirty months The Episcopal Home Communities has been moving forward to bring a new continuing care retirement community, MonteCedro, to the San Gabriel Valley.  At the time we began, the housing market was strong and financing was readily available at good interest rates.  As you all know, both of those circumstances have changed dramatically. Housing prices, upon which we based the project’s financial and marketing feasibility, have fallen at least twenty-five percent in our area.  Financing is virtually frozen and, if we could even obtain it, is at rates that make the project unaffordable.  Consequently, and with great regret, we must share the news with you that management, in consultation with our Board of Directors, has decided to postpone the MonteCedro project indefinitely.

We have the privilege of owning three great retirement communities and our first obligation is to keep the overall organization strong.  To proceed with the MonteCedro project in these uncertain economic times would not be an exercise of good financial stewardship.

A number of you have given us a priority reservation deposit.  We have already requested our escrow agent, Union Bank of California, to release them.  We will return them to you as soon as we receive them.

We would like to remain a resource to you as you seek to plan for your retirement.  Please call us if you would like to discuss opportunities at any of our three communities, The Canterbury in Rancho Palos Verdes, The Covington in Aliso Viejo, and Scripps Kensington in Alhambra.  We have enjoyed the opportunity to meet you and have so appreciated your enthusiasm and support during the pre-marketing of MonteCedro.  We know it would have been a tremendous community, had the time been right for its development.  We continue to wish you well and we will stay in touch if the situation changes for MonteCedro.

Sincerely yours,

Martha L. Tamburrano
President & CEO

Episcopal Homes' director of sales Peggy Buchanan told Altadenablog, "I’m very sad about it -- it was a fabulous project .. the folks who are interested in it are very disappointed."  She said that the final entitlements from the county to complete the project would probably come through in March and that sprinklers had just been installed on the property.  For now, she said, Episocpal Home Communities still owns the vacant property and will continue to maintain it.

RIP Philip Jose Farmer - a gratitude

(Warning: Altadenablog is indulging his geek side, in which he explains, kind of, why he has a picture of a rock in his office.  Deal with it or skip it!)

In the past year, three men have died whose works I encountered in my youth and whose ideas and enthusiasms still occupy a large amount of my head-space:  Forrest J Ackerman (so influential to me from age 7 on) died a few months ago, and Robert Anton Wilson (who so influenced me as a young adult) died last year.  The one who occupies some of the most prime territory of my head died today.

I still remember vividly being at the public library in Ft. Collins, Colorado, flipping through the magazines, and coming across an Esquire (this is about c. 1970-72) with an article: “An Interview with Lord Greystoke.”  Now, I was a big fan of boy’s adventure books, so I knew exactly who Lord Greystoke was:  Tarzan of the Apes.  The interviewer -- who swore up and down that it was a real meeting -- was one Philip Jose Farmer.  I never knew what hit me.

The mutant kumquats from Altadena

Headline writing is an art, isn't it?

Just noticed in the LAme Times Food section -- in an article about varieties of kumquats and their like -- the following paragraph about one variety that originated here:

* Variegated calamondin. Natural mutation of calamondin, originated with Paul Peters in Altadena, circa 1954. Attractive ornamental tree, foliage variegated dark green, light green, yellow. Fruit smaller, lighter in color when mature than calamondin, variegated, only when immature, green and yellow. Grown on a small scale by California specialty citrus farmers, to ship ornamental branches.

Workin' for the weekend: stars and PUSD candidates

Here's what it's going to look like:

Fri., Feb. 27:  Another stargazing party at Farnsworth Park, hosted by JPL and starting at 6 PM near the Davies Building on Mt. Curve.

Sat., Feb. 28:  The PUSD will have school board elections March 10 and the Altadena Town Council and NAACP are sponsoring a "Meet the Candidates" forum at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive on Sat., Feb. 28, from 10 AM to noon.  Altadena town council chair Gino Sund says this "will be the only time all the candidates will appear in Altadena.  It will be an opportunity for you to meet the candidates and ask questions that are of specific interest to our community.  This will allow you to cast an informed vote in this election which is of vital interest and importance to Altadena."

Rubio Basin gets graffiti'd

Courtesy Jeremiah Small, looks like "Hoes" has been on the move.  (Maybe it's an overenthusiastic gardener -- it's either the plural of "hoe" or he can't spell "hose"-- but probably not).

Muir teacher's wife arrested ...

... in a sordid domestic situation.  Leta Carruthers, 29, of Altadena, was arrested for confronting a female teacher at Muir High School during a class re: her husband, also a teacher at Muir.  Caroline An of PSN has the story right here.

Farnsworth Park concert series finalized

A And here (click on graphic to enlarge) is the finalized roster for the summer concert series at Farnsworth Park!  We can hardly wait!

Fat Tuesday

PSST!  We're putting in a personal plug: if you're looking for a low-stress dinner option tonight -- St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1014 E. Altadena Dr., is having its annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper tonight -- 5-7 PM, $5 a head or $15 a family.  It's the annual fundraiser for the Men's Fellowship -- of which we are the treasurer, so a good turnout would make Altadenablog very happy!

Central Altadena Little League pancake breakfast set for March 7

Central Altadena Little League (CALL) will be holding a Pancake Breakfast on Sat., March 7, 2009 from 9-11 AM. at the upper picnic area of Farnsworth Park in Altadena. This annual fundraiser will kick off the 2009 Baseball season and is open to the public. The CALL Opening Ceremonies will be held immediately following the Breakfast, which are also open to the public.

 

Breakfast plates are $4.00 each or $15.00 for four plates and can be purchased on the day of the event. Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage and a beverage.

 

Farnsworth Park is located at the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena and the picnic area can be found at the southwest corner of Lake Avenue and Mount Curve in Altadena. For more information, or if you would like to register your child for Little League baseball, please visit:

www.centralaltadenalittleleague.org.

Crime log: Jan.29 - Feb. 16

A whole world of crime this period, after the jump:

Pasadena meeting scheduled for urgent care facility March 5

Got this note from the City of Pasadena.  This urgent care facility will serve us too, so listen up:

The City of Pasadena invites you to an up-date on the planning and design for the
URGENT CARE FACILITY

To be located on the site of the former San Gabriel Valley Learning Center @ 3160 East Del Mar Boulevard on:

Thursday, March 5, 2009

6:30 p.m.

Ability First
201 South Kinneloa Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91107


City staff and representatives from the Project Team will be present at this informative session.
Contact: Karen Balchunas 626-744-7345 or kbalchunas@cityofpasadena.net


Rhonda Stone
District 4 Field Representative
Office of Vice Mayor Steve Haderlein
626.744.4740
fax: 626.744.3814

Snelgro is WAC Player of the Week

Altadenan Danyelle Snelgro, a guard for Utah State, was named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 16-22. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Snelgro.  The official WAC website has the details.

Family fun with Rusty O'Flattery at the Library March 10

T uesday, March 10th at 7 PM in the Altadena Main Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa St., meet Rusty O'Flattery.

That Celtic comical broth of a boy. Family fun with an Irish flavor featuring outrageous juggling, silly magic, devilish tales, audience involvements and more. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder if his hair is real, or at least why he goes out in public like that. All ages welcome.

An Altadenablog thank you ...

To Ruth Nielan Edwards, who has donated an extra camera to us (a Fuji digital), so we don't have to rely solely on the Altadenablog CrappyCam anymore.  We're still working our way through the manual.

Now, we're still open if someone would like to donate a higher-end Nikon or Canon with some great lenses and a flash kit.  We're just sayin' ...

Graffiti wave on eastside

Neighbors on the east side of Altadena have notice an uptick in graffiti in the usually quiet area.  The first was a 20 ft. monster on a wall on Porter at Gaywood,  first noticed Saturday morning (picture: Gino Sund):

That was followed by a tagged street sign noticed on Sunday at Sunny Oaks Circle and Loma Alta Dr. (photo: Steve Gerow):

If you spot graffiti, it's important to notify the sheriff first (798-1131)  -- they will take a picture of it to collect gang intelligence.  The county graffiti hotline is: (800) 675-4357.

Family Storytime @ the Library Feb. 28

Come to the Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa, for Saturday Family Storytime.  Join us for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by a Scholastic film adaptation of an award-winning, classic children’s picture book. Film screen times range from 5-15 minutes. Appropriate for children ages 2-8 years and their families. This program will run the 4^th Saturday of the month at 10:00 am.

Sheriffs detonate homemade bomb this morning

Thanks to one of our readers, a resident of the area who alerted us to this, the Altadena sheriffs and county arson sqaud safely detonated a small homemade bomb sometime after midnight this morning near the sheriff's station.  According to the sheriff's watch commander, a resident found the device in his grandparent's garage -- a bottle with gunpowder, fireworks, and ammunition stuffed inside or taped to it. The resident put the device in his car and drove it to the sheriff's station, where they evacuated the immediate area and called in the arson squad.  The device was removed from the car and harmlessly detonated with a water cannon.

The sheriff's spokesman said no charges are being filed, and the best course of action in these cases is to leave the device where it is and call them (I think the sheriff makes house calls!)

Read to Pearl for Barks and Books at the Library Feb. 28

Children ages 5-12 are invited to visit the Altadena Library at 11 AM next Saturday to read to Pearl. Pearl is a sweet, loveable standard poodle from the Pasadena Humane Society’s Home Companion Program. This reading enrichment program makes reading fun, boosts confidence and encourages respectful, humane treatment for all animals. The Barks & Books program runs the 4^th Saturday of each month at 11 AM at the library, 600 E. Mariposa, Altadena.

Everything has changed for Saturday: trees down, protest on, festival off

Okay, everything we said would happen this weekend?  Circumstances have conspired against them:

First, In a story posted on their website this afternoon, PSN reports that the city of Pasadena has already chopped down the trees in front of Vroman's Bookstore, starting in the dead of night yesterday (yes, doing something in the dead of night is always a sign of openness and transparency).

A "Save the Trees" rally has been announced for the front of Vroman's, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena starting at 11 AM Saturday.  If you want to make a speech, there are now stumps available.

Second: the Black History Parade will still start at Charles White Park at 10 AM Saturday, but the planned festival afterward has been canceled in light of the officer-involved shooting Thursday afternoon (Pasadena Now has the details). According to the Pasadena Public Information officer, those activities will be folded into a celebration of Jackie Robinson in May.

Third, We haven't received word of any changes to the Farnsworth Park "Festival of Unity" on Saturday afternoon, but will spread the word if we hear anything.

Branislav Kecman took these pictures of the dirty deed on Colorado Blvd:


Vroman's before the saws.

Lincoln Crossing ousts BJR Postal/Copy Center

Jannette Williams at PSN has a story in tomorrow's paper (it's appearing in the Contra Costa Times branch of the chain first, per the usual pattern) about the ousting of BJR Postal/Copy Center, the last of the original tenants of Lincoln Crossing.  The story says that BJR owner Bobby Thompson admits that his business income was never enough to pay full freight on the rent, and the county's subsidy payments came to an end.  Thompson says he will sue for breach of contract -- and a spokesman for developer Dorn Platz says everything is great (they always do).

This weekend's Altadena Junction opening has been thrown under the bus

We just received this over Facebook from Lance Anderson and Marisol Martinez of Altadena Junction:

Hello Everybody

As some of you already know, this morning a bus ran into the Altadena Hardware Store that is the anchor of our building. Our studios are undamaged and fortunately nobody was hurt, but it has caused chaos on our street.

Photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1884321&l=89813&id=714726365

On top of that, we just found out this morning that there will be filming all day on Saturday that will block access to our building.

With that being said, we've decided to reschedule our opening for the weekend of March 6th. We are still working on the details, but we will probably make it a two day event. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime we still plan on presenting Joseph Dougherty's "Handwritten Theatre: Four Women Each With a Drink in Her Hand" on Friday February 27th and Saturday 28th. You can find more details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=52072212435

We apologize for any inconvenience and we'll keep you posted of our plans for the opening weekend.

Cheers,

--Lance & Marisol

Two rescued in Angeles Forest crash

The ever-reliable Contra Costa Times tells us that firefighters rescued two in a truck that overturned on the Angeles Forest Highway above Altadena this morning.  Injuries apparently are minor.

Bus crash at Altadena Hardware

We've got whatever it is that's going around, so we have to lie low today in our sick bed.  However, some of our correspondents have alerted us to an MTA bus crash into Altadena Hardware this morning before 6 AM.  Fortunately, it doesn't appear that anyone was injured.

Here's KCBS's story (look for the picture of -- well, the bus running into the building)

Here's KTLA's take.

UPDATE 11 AM: We dragged ourselves out of our sick bed and took some pictures (below).  Also ran into Lance Anderson, whose Altadena Junction is in the same building and was planning its grand opening this weekend -- Lance says that there's some fear that a main building support was taken out, so the opening will have to be postponed.

Here's PSN's story filed at 8:22 this morning.  They say the bus was towed away, but we just drove by at 2 PM, the bus is still there, and it ain't gonna move for awhile.

Exploring Altadena with the Hiker

Our old compadre, the intrepid Altadenahiker, has been showing us off for all the photoblogs, it seems.  Here's the latest in a series with Petrea Buchard of Pasadena Daily Photo, and a few shots from Vanda at Toadberry.

Weekendin' ...

Saturday is too busy:

• Black History Month parade starts at 10 AM at Charles White Park.
• Celebration of Unity at Farnsworth Park, 4-8 PM
• And we're going to be at the open house of Altadena Junction, 2524 & 2526 El Molino Ave, noon to 10 PM.  Marisol Martinez and Lance Anderson's healing studio/gallery/performance space will definitely be the scene.  At 8 PM, join them for a performance and book signing of Verge of LA "mixed media magazine" featuring stories by "Podcasting Pioneer" Dan Klass and "Web Maverick" Tim Coyne. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. UPDATE 2/19:  Never mind!  See the bus crash story above!  We'll let you know when the opening is back on!

County presents draft hillside ordinance tonight

The community center was packed tonight as the county planning department gave a presentation on a proposed Hillside Ordinance for Altadena, an attempt to prevent "Glendalization" of the hillsides.

There are two components to the ordinance, according to Emma Howard of the county planning department: the addition of a hillside management plan to the Altadena community plan, laying out hillside-specific issues, goals, policies, and implementation measures; and new language for the Altadena Community Standards District, setting regulations for hillside ares.

The purpose of the ordinance is in large part to preserve the view of ridgelines in the foothills, so that an observer will still see the natural ridges, as opposed to the tops of buildings and housing breaking up the view of the hilltops.  As well, the ordinance will address development on steep terrain in the hills.

The goal, Howard said, is to preserve the views of the San Gabriel Mountains, minimize challenges to public safety and services presented by development of hillside areas, and balance the rights of property owners with the larger interests of the community.

One of the major changes called for by the proposed ordinance is that a conditional use permit is required if adding or subtracting for than 2,500 cubiic yards of fill (the average dump truck holds 10 cubic yards).  The present threshold is 100,000 cubic yards.

The ordinance also calls for a “significant ridgeline” provision, wherein a structure shall be located at least 50 vertical feet and 50 horizontal feet from a significant ridgeline, to avoid breaking the line of the hills with a structure.

It's still very early in the process; while the community members attending raised hands to approve going ahead with the draft, Howard said the county is still collecting public comments.

A map and the draft ordinance is available at this website; to make comments, call 213-974-6479 or email: ehoward@planning.lacounty.gov

Pictured: LA County Planning's Emma Howard points out the "red zone" of properties that will be affected by the ordinance.  Photo:  Bill Westphal.

Town council Feb meeting highlights

From last night's meeting:

• The council proclaimed February "Scholar's Month," and honored the Bright Futures Scholars, quite a few of whom were in attendance.
• Lena Kennedy of State Sen. Carol Liu's office announced an open house at her district office in Glendale, 710 E. Central Ave. suite 310.  RSVP: 818-409-0400,
• Sheriff Lt. Shiela Sanchez said that the sheriff's were citing unlicensed people in the rash of door-to-door sales,
• Officer Tom Miller of the California Highway Patrol said that February was the start of a special enfocement period -- special enforcement nits would be at all Altadena schools two or three times a week to make sure everybody's obeying the speed limit.  The CHP is also offering an inspection of child seat placement by  appointment (626-296-8100).
• In census tract reports, councilman Ken Balder noted that the Apple Market is changing hands, and King Market will be occupying the space in four or five weeks.
• Gene Stephenson of the Altadena Community Development Corp. spoke on block grants; and four candidate for PUSD school board gave presentations.

PUSD candidate forum @ Community Center Feb. 28

The Altadena Town Council and NAACP are sponsoring a "Meet the Candidates" forum at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive on Sat., Feb. 28, from 10 AM to noon.

Candidates for seats on the PUSD Board of Education will give presentations, answer questions, and inform the public on the issues facing the school district.

Adventure capital

Kelly Tompkins, founder and CEO of AdventureLink, an Altadena-based adventure travel firm, talks to the SoCalTech website about their new round of venture capital funding and their use of technology.

Altadena golf legend passes

PSN's Larry Morgan notes at the end of today's column the passing of a local golf legend:

Altadena's Ed Casebier, who helped found the Pasadena YMCA's Future Stars Golf Program, died at the age of 84 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Casebier, who grew up playing golf with the likes of Clark Gable, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, started the program in 1998 as a way to keep troubled and disadvantaged youths off the streets.

"I get a lot of satisfaction out of it," he once said, "seeing these kids develop."

Blogs we love

Nope, we're not going the Esquire route, putting an arty black and white picture of a starlet in a revealing outfit and calling it "Women We Love" (altho' it would certainly help our page numbers!)  But the folks at Prospect Park Books, the ones behind the invaluable Hometown Pasadena book, have a blog now, and guess who's first on "Links We Love," their blogroll? (It's alphabetical, that helps!)  But we'll take love where we can!

Town council meeting: first look

Not too earth-shaking tonight -- we'll have the rundown tomorrow, and an announcement of an upcoming town hall meeting with PUSD candidates.

Only the Pasadena city council can fell a tree ...

Pasadena Star News has been on top of the insane idea of the Pasadena City Council  and the merchants to remove the ficus and carrotwood trees along Colorado Boulevard, and replace them with sparse ginko trees (like the ones that have been dying for about a decade in front of the Playhouse) and the ever-popular fan palm (which is not only an invasive species, but possesses all the character of a telephone pole).  Larry Wilson's column in the Wednesday PSN (which is online now) looks at some of the objections, and quotes mega-tree-huggers Lori Paul and Susanna Dodd of Altadena.  The mature trees are major reasons why we like to hang out at Vromans and not the heat sink that is Old Town during the summer.

More Lincoln Crossing stress

Rumors and chatter of another business being evicted from Lincoln Crossing.  We're trying to pin down facts, so any help is appreciated!

UPDATE 2/18 9:30 AM:  Sierra Madre Tattler blog sends us an email that they're on it -- but "on it" means they just published one of the same emails we received, and their piece is closer to an opinion piece than a news piece (altho' we're not doubting any of the facts presented, we need a little more first-hand proof to go ahead).  We CAN tell you that Bobby Thompson of BJR Printing has confirmed to us in an email that he's being evicted by LIncoln Crossing developer Dorn Platz, and isn't happy about his experience with them.  We're trying to connect with Thompson for an interview and get a first hand report.

Ahh, student journalism ...

... we remember those days.  Emory University's Emory Wheel blogsite (hey, better than the "emory board") has a feature on Altadena-raised jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford.  We can tell this is student journalism because the writer uses far too many adjectives, even for a review, and has coined the word "jazzist."  We used to do things like that.

Fire at Country Villa

SGV News reports that 80 people were evacuated and one injured in a fire at the Country Villa Park Marino Health Care Center on Washington Blvd.  Details are sketchy right now (and we're locked in with sick kids today!) but we're monitoring.

We love the Altadena Library ...

.. and we're not alone.  Kate Thornton, who taught a short story workshop at the library last week, has her own rave review!

Batten the hatches

It's all about the weather today -- rain, winds, possibility of hail, possibility of mudslides in the burn areas around Sierra Madre, and our scanner is working overtime on accident reports on the 210 and 134  The Twitter feed from CHP says there's an injury accident blocking lanes at Sierra Madre Blvd., and injury accidents on the 134 in Glendale at the 2, the 5,  and Pacific.  Sounds like a good day to stay home!

National Weather Service report after the jump

Town council, hillside ordinance meetings this week

Two important local government meetings this week, both at the Community Center, both start at 7 PM:

Tues, Feb. 17: Altadena Town Council monthly meeting

Wed. Feb. 18: Community meeting on the proposed Altadena HIllside Ordinance.  This is not a formal hearing, but an informal meeting hosted by LA Planning Dept. staff to present the draft ordinance and receive feedback.  The hillside management area/ridgeline map will be available at the meeting.  For more information, there's a website: http://www.altadenahills.org/

Your daily helping of PhotoDena

Our collaborator in potlucks, Debbi Swanson Patrick, has started a new endeavor: Altadena Daily Photo, a look at the sights of the High 'Dena.  We look forward to seeing through her eyes!

Flix for teens: "Nick & Norah" at the Library Feb. 20

On Friday, Feb. 20 @ 3:30 PM take a break from “All of it…school, work and family,” grab some free popcorn and a join us for a movie at the Altadena Library. This month we are showing Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist based on the book by Rachel Cohn. Let’s watch as Nick and Norah spend a sleepless night of adventure in the world of indie rock. Starring: Michael Cera and Kat Dennings; Rated: PG-13

Please join us in the Community Room of the Altadena Library District. 600 E Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001. More information at www.altadenalibrary.org

 Programs sponsored by the Friends of the Altadena Library District.

Major winter storm coming Sunday

The National Weather Service is waxing apocalyptic for tomorrow and Monday, after the jump:

Altadena artist Mike Stillkey interviewed

We're always interested in the artists who call this place home, and discovered a new one: Mike Stillkey, via his interview in the interestingly-named Fecal Face blog.  Here's his website.

Black History Month events

A couple of items that have entered our in-box:

Chantee Benefield’s art will be on display in the Altadena Main Library for the duration of Black History Month. The library’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m., Sundays. The library is at 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena. Information: (626) 798-0833.

And on Sat., Feb. 21, the Black History Parade will begin at 10 AM at Charles White Park in Altadena and end at Robinson Park in Pasadena. It will be followed by a family festival from noon to 4 PM at Robinson Park. (626) 744-7300 for more information.

Supporters queue up to preserve Route 256

A report making the rounds from Claude Willey about Monday's meeting of the Metro in El Monte:

Hello Altadena Neighbors,

I just wanted to say that I went to the MTA service meeting in El
Monte on Monday evening. Seems there were a number of bus lines up
for discussion that night, but the turnout in support of the 256 line
was impressive. The Bus Riders Union brought in a busload of folks in
from Highland Park and other NELA communities reliant on that route.
Of all the public comments made about that line, 95% of them were
made in support of keeping the 256 running. It's up to the MTA board
as to what happens next.

If anyone wants any additional details, please drop me a line.

--Claude Willey